in another forum, during one of the usual debates on politics, a person who claimed to be a soldier posted his disgust for the american people because we allowed this war to go on and by doing so, we put our troops unfairly in harm's way. he went on crying about how we "failed" our armed forces and that we should put a stop to the war, blah blah blah...

being me, i took offense to that charge and posted a reply that he obviously didn't like because i disagreed with him. needless to say, as it always does in a forum, the usual "forum battle" ensued with the firing salvo of words. my basic suggestion to him was why post that in a forum that is against the war and against george bush? i suggested he post his feelings in a right wing forum, if he had the balls, or even write a letter to his commander in chief and tell him. i also told him he enlisted and he should not be whining because he was sent to war.

ok...so mean while another soldier pops in and joins the conversation...and he posts his viewpoints in one post that i felt was dead on and i wanted to share it with the people here.

this is his post:

I finally have to unload this to everyone who claims "our men and women in uniform shouldn't complain because they signed up."

I signed my enlistment contract 22 Oct 2001. One month after September 11th, I was processing into the military. My older brother, who was present in the Pentagon 10 Sep 01, waived a commission and enlisted in the military to join the Special Forces.

When I joined, the country was in a fervor, blinded by the damage we had taken. Our leaders swore to find those responsible, and I believed it. I wanted to believe that for once, humanity would replace greed and self-interest. I wanted those responsible found and brought to justice, and I signed away years of my life along with thousands of others to this end.

And just like you, we slowly woke up the to truth that we were lied to.

I'm stationed at Dover Air Force Base, and I see helicopters coming and going daily ferrying the remains of those killed in Iraq from our morgue to their homes. Most of the people being killed were young, idealistic, and naive, just like me. We were conditioned from childhood to watch GI Joe and Rambo save the world from the bad men, and as young adults were served heroic tales of bravery in every cinema. We were groomed to believe that every person who wore a uniform was a potential hero. It wasn't until it was too late that we realised that in reality, a hero is just a number in a cold, uncaring system.

Of course, we all signed our contracts. Now we have to play the odds -- will I go? Will I somehow manage to ride out the rest of my time here? If I go, will I get a hot spot, or get sent to a convoy? Will I refuse, and earn that big black mark that will show for the rest of my life?

This war, this government and this military thrive on naivete. They had us believe we would charge in like John Wayne, capture the bad guys, and be home in time for the ticker-tape parade. They had us believe our technology, intelligence and tactics would allow us to avoid the mistakes of the past. But the bad guys are free and laughing, we're trapped in a no-win situation, and we're being whittled away bit by bit.

So, symptathy? No, no sympathy. We were all big boys and girls, and we signed that contract. That part is true, and it would be foolish of me to debate that. But empathy is correct. Because as angry as you are for being lied to, we're angry and equally as afraid.

Damn straight. These are KIDS. They should be making out in the back seat of a Buick, not shooting DU rounds at even younger kids. The average *soldier* in Iraq can't have a beer in the US. Not old enough to drink, but old enough to bleed for the lies of a man who ran and hide and snorted coke while his peers shit their pants in fear.

And yes, you do. When you have explosions going off every 20 seconds all around you, bullets flying every which way from both sides, wounded men screaming for their mommy, or simply begiging for the kindness of death, you most certainly do.